Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of more bloodshed in crisis-torn country if the West insisted on the ouster of President Bashar al-As

As he insisted that Moscow and Paris won’t allow the sectarian partition of Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of more bloodshed in crisis-torn country if the West insisted on the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

“Russia and France will not allow the sectarian violence in partition in Syria,” Lavrov told the press following a meeting with his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius in Paris.

However the difference between the two European countries on the Syrian crisis was clear.
"If the position of our partners remains the departure of this leader who they do not like, the bloodbath will continue," Lavrov said.

Fabius also said France and Russia failed to bridge their differences over Assad's role in any future transition government.

"Yes, there is a difference of assessment on the presence of Bashar al-Assad in a transition government," he said after a meeting of the French and Russian foreign and defense ministers in Paris.